Shotguns are popular for use for hunting small, fast-moving targets, target shooting sports, and in close quarters combat or defense. One of the main disadvantages of shotguns is that a typical 12 gauge pump shotgun is limited to six or seven shots in the magazine tube and one in the chamber. This necessitates the need to carry additional shells for reloading. Furthermore, since a shotgun is slower to reload than a magazine-fed rifle, the shells must be readily accessible to avoid additional reloading time. However, the shells must also be retained within the carrier until they are needed without falling out.
A variety of prior art devices are known for attaching shells to the exterior of a shotgun. A typical receiver-mounted shell holder is the SureShell shotshell carrier manufactured by Mesa Tactical of Costa Mesa, Calif. The SureShell uses an elastomeric tube that partially protrudes into the shell carrier receptacles to retain shells within the receptacles until they are needed. The force required to remove a shell from a receptacle is not readily adjustable. Adjustability might be beneficial when a mission demands either high retention forces, or looser extraction forces, or based on the dimensional variations and surface conditions of the shells used. Adjustment of the SureShell device would require substituting either a stiffer (or softer) elastomeric tube or one that offers more or less dimensional interference. Because of the repeated friction, elastomeric tubes are subject to wear. They may also require the user to adopt a twisting motion of the shell in order to more quickly and reliably remove a shell from the carrier, which may present limitations for some users.
Therefore, a need exists for a new and improved firearm with shell holder that allows the user to adjust the amount of force required to remove a shell from each individual receptacle of the shell holder. In this regard, the various embodiments of the present invention substantially fulfill at least some of these needs. In this respect, the firearm with shell holder according to the present invention substantially departs from the conventional concepts and designs of the prior art, and in doing so provides an apparatus primarily developed for the purpose of allowing adjustment of the amount of force required to remove a shell from each individual receptacle of the shell holder.